Ducks
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: Oneshot. What started off as a normal day for the Anti-Diva turns out to be anything but ordinary when he happens to wander by her favorite duck pond. Dean Ambrose/Paige.


**Ducks**

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE!

**Summary**: Oneshot. What started off as a normal day for the Anti-Diva turns out to be anything but ordinary when he happens to wander by her favorite duck pond. Dean Ambrose/Paige.

**Characters**: Dean Ambrose and Paige

**Pairings**: Dean Ambrose/Paige

**Rating**: K+

**Genre**: Romance

**Author's Note**: Hey, guys! I thought I'd try something a little different with one of my favorite pairings (not to mention writing Dean in a sorta-kinda romantic role, lol). For those of you reading my Shield stories, those are still in the works, never fear, lol. This will just be a fun little story. It was partly inspired by The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (the _Across the Universe_ version), though it's not a songfic. Read and review if you'd like, just no flames please. Enjoy! :)

_"And please, say to me_

_You'll let me hold your hand_

_Now let me hold your hand,_

_I want to hold your hand..."_

-The Beatles, "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

The forecast had called for potential for isolated showers throughout the area that afternoon, but it hadn't stopped her before and it certainly wasn't going to stop her now. She wasn't going to change her plans just because there was a slight chance for a little bit of rain. It wasn't like she would melt if it did, anyway.

Paige bent over and stretched a bit after she stepped out of the hotel they were staying in for the NXT taping in Tampa, Florida later that night, dressed in a casual pair of tight-fitting black shorts, a loose-fitting light gray t-shirt, and a pair of old flip-flops that she had slipped on after her workout, carrying her black studded bag in one hand and the leftover bread from the sandwich that she had ordered for lunch from the café in the lobby in the other. The sky was overcast with swirling gray clouds that only allowed a little sunlight to sneak through, so she lifted her unneeded black-framed sunglasses to sit on top of the black hair she had tied into a ponytail behind her head as she began walking across the parking lot.

To relax before a show, Paige typically liked to get out of the hotel for a while and either go on a walk or get a little shopping done, both activities that the near twenty-one-year-old Brit considered to be therapeutic. Last time she and the rest of the NXT crew had been in Tampa, she had discovered a small community park down the block from the hotel that they usually stayed at with a pond at its center that a family of ducks, both adults and babies, had decided to call home during the warm spring months. She hadn't had any food with her the last time she had seen them, but this time, she was prepared.

The park wasn't as crowded as she thought it would be on a beautiful day, but she figured the call for rain was scaring people away. It was a shame that they would let a chance of a little bit of precipitation keep them from enjoying the nice weather, but it was their loss, not hers. Paige stopped by a stone water fountain and took a quick drink before she walked past a young couple having a picnic and a man playing frisbee with his dog. She continued on toward a smooth asphalt path that wound around the park that was popular for joggers, casual walkers, and bikers, waiting for a couple kids on rollerblades to pass before she crossed it to where there was an elderly man reading a newspaper on a park bench in front of the pond she had found last time she was there. The water was a bit darker than usual and was a bit gray-toned due the overhead clouds, and a few more long weeds had made themselves known from beneath the surface. She stopped by the edge, her eyes narrowing slightly when she didn't see the family of ducks she had seen before.

"Are you looking for something, my dear?"

Paige turned around at the sudden voice, seeing that the elderly man had raised his kind, light gaze from his newspaper and was regarding her curiously. "Oh, I was jus' going for a bi' of a walk," she said. "Such a beautiful day."

The older man chuckled quietly as he folded up his paper with slightly shaking hands and set it on his lap. "You're right, it is a lovely day to sit outside," he replied. "Earlier today while I was enjoying my morning coffee, a father and mother duck brought their five babies here for a refreshing swim. The ducklings weren't nearly old enough to be on their own yet, they still have their baby feathers. But while they were swimming around in the pond, they knew to stick close by their parents, and the mother and father ducks didn't feel the need to watch them every minute. That's trust for you."

"Oh." Paige worried her bottom lip between her teeth, brushing over the stud piercing she had on the right side. She was slightly disappointed that she had missed them. Maybe they, like many people, had also sought a sheltered spot because of the possibility of a little rainfall. "I'm sure they were fun to watch."

"That they were, my dear," the man agreed with a smile. "Though it would not surprise me if they were to return. They seem to like this spot."

Paige smiled slightly and nodded before she looked out at the pond again when she heard a couple quiet splashes. The look broadened when she watched as a male mallard duck swam out into the water from the opposite side of the pond, quacking as the female followed after him. Trailing along behind them were their five ducklings, still covered with their yellow and brown fluffy feathers. They weren't afraid of a chance of rain after all.

The older man chuckled again as he watched the family as well. "See? There they are, my dear," he told her.

Her smile lingering, Paige glanced over her shoulder at him before she took a few steps closer to the pond and knelt at the edge, opening the plastic bag that she had brought the bread along in. She broke a small piece off one of the slices and tossed it as close as she could to where the seven ducks were swimming toward the middle of the pond. The father quacked a little louder before he swam forward to where the bread was, and Paige broke off another piece before throwing that one as well, this time for the mother to have. She then threw a couple more closer to where the ducklings were gathered, laughing a little when they flapped their small wings anxiously and fought over them.

"Well, my dear, I think I will be on my way," the older man suddenly spoke up with a quiet sigh as he glanced at the could-filled sky above them. "I will leave this here for you should you want to take a look at it. You enjoy the rest of your day now."

"Thank you, you too." Paige threw another small piece of bread into the pond, seeing that the family of ducks was steadily getting closer to where she was kneeling, before she turned around to face him again as he carefully rose to his feet. He grabbed the black umbrella that had been sitting on the wooden bench next to him but left the newspaper where it was, and he offered the young woman a small wave before he slowly began to make his way toward the path. She returned the gesture with a smile, but then the look slowly vanished when someone else caught her attention from behind him.

He was jogging down the asphalt path, wearing a plain white t-shirt, black and white athletic shorts, and a pair of old tennis shoes that had seen better days, seemingly in his own little world with his earphones in and music blaring. He slowed to a stop when he approached the stone water fountain, stretching a little and running a hand through his disheveled light brown hair before he bent over and took a long drink.

Paige felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips as she watched him. She had been friends with Dean Ambrose for quite some time since he had been part of the NXT crew, and she was thrilled that he had been called up to the main roster as a member of the new faction, The Shield, and had become the United States Champion. He deserved it since not only was he very dedicated to his craft, but he was also one of the most laid back, relaxed, and friendly people she had the pleasure of knowing. It would be quite a while yet before she could join him there, but she was still happy for him since the success couldn't have happened to anyone better.

Over the past few months, she and fellow NXT Divas Summer Rae and Emma had a good laugh at seeing online that Dean had a very popular female following, and though she had always considered him a good friend, Paige couldn't deny that there may have been a slight attraction toward him there as well. She had passed it off as a silly crush for a long time, but his never-take-crap from anyone attitude had undeniably won her over. She had to admit that she was happy to see him whenever he and his fellow teammates, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, returned to NXT, which they had that night since they all had title defenses.

She was startled out of her thoughts when louder quacking reached her ears, and Paige quickly turned back to the pond to see that the duck family had ventured even closer and were protesting the lack of bread crumbs. She muttered a quick apology and broke off a couple more pieces, tossing them in the water for them before she cast a quick glance over her shoulder back at where Dean had previously been. She was startled to see that he had straightened up away from the water fountain and was looking in her direction, doing a double take when he noticed her, and she immediately turned and fully faced the pond. She was slightly embarrassed that he had caught her looking, though she didn't know why. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him working out before.

Paige chuckled when the ducklings once again began to fight over one of the pieces of bread, and she tossed them a couple more so that hopefully they would all get some. She didn't realize she was being joined until she heard a couple quiet footsteps draw close, and she looked up to see that Dean was standing right behind her and regarding her with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I _was_ enjoying some peace and quie', feeding the ducks," Paige answered, tossing a couple more pieces of bread into the pond.

Dean smirked slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I intruding?" Without waiting for a response from the Brit, he sat down on the grass beside her, wrapping his earphones around his iPod and sticking it in his pocket before he leaned back on his arms.

Paige rolled her eyes before she tossed a few more bread crumbs into the pond, both for the father and mother ducks and for the ducklings. "Well, there goes my peace and quie'," she muttered.

"Ah, you don't mind me sitting here that much, do ya?" Dean wondered, his smirk lingering as he sat up straighter.

Chuckling quietly, Paige looked over at him thoughtfully. "I suppose you can stay," she said before a slight smirk appeared on her own face. "If you behave yourself, tha' is."

Dean raised an eyebrow, laughing a little himself. "Didn't think I'd hear you of all people say that, Paige," he replied with a slight stretch. "You should know that's not fun."

Paige simply smiled in return as she tossed a couple more bread crumbs into the pond, seeing that the baby ducks were drawing closer though their parents were keeping their distance. Dean watched the small birds for a moment before looking over at the Brit with him.

"Got any more bread in there?" he wondered.

Slightly surprised, Paige met his gaze before she nodded, pulling out the second bread slice from the sandwich she had ordered and held it out to him. "Make sure the pieces are small, though," she told him. "You don' wan' them to choke."

Dean chuckled quietly as he started to tear a piece off. "I don't think that this is something really difficult, Paige..." he began.

Paige watched him, chuckling quietly as she set the plastic bag with the food she had left down before reaching out to the bread he held. "Here, make i' a little smaller," she said, her fingers lightly brushing over his as she tore the piece he had ripped off in half. "I' will be easier for them to ea', especially the ducklings."

But then, she paused when she realized that her hands had come to rest over his, and she quickly pulled them away to rest in her lap. Dean arched an eyebrow as he watched her take the small bread slice she still had, staring at it intently as she broke off another little piece and tossed it into the pond where the five baby ducks were impatiently waiting close to where they were sitting. He chuckled quietly and shook his head as he lightly tossed one of the pieces he had to them as well before throwing the second further into the pond where the mother and father were still grouped.

"So, do you do this kind of thing often?" he asked.

Paige briefly glanced over at him. "Um... this is the firs' time I've actually sa' and fed them," she answered. "I found this little spo' las' time we were here, and I jus' watched them for a while."

Dean nodded, breaking off a couple more small pieces and tossing them to the parents before giving a few more to the babies. "It's relaxing," he agreed. "I actually haven't done something like this for a long time."

"You expec' me to believe tha' you've stopped and fed ducks before, Dean?" Paige teased, a small smile appearing on her face as she tossed the rest of the bread she had to the ducklings.

"Stranger things have happened." Dean sent a glance Paige's way before he offered her the slice she had given him. "Wanna share?"

Paige looked at him for a moment before she reached over and tore a small piece of bread off and tossed it into the pond. He hadn't really confirmed or denied that he had partaken in this particular activity before, but it was a humorous thought all the same. Dean chuckled, throwing another one in himself.

They weren't sure how long they continued to sit and throw lunch to their newfound feathered friends when it began to drizzle. Paige glanced up at the overcast sky, surprised that it was actually raining when the weather had called for it for once.

"It's just a little rain. I'm sure you won't melt, Paige," Dean told her with a mischievous smirk.

"Oh, don' worry. I can assure you I'm no' afraid of tha'," Paige assured him, tossing another piece of bread into the pond. She grinned when she saw that both the parents and the ducklings seemed to be enjoying the raindrops. "Le' i' rain for all I care."

Dean laughed a little as he tossed another piece of bread to the mother and father duck to share before he glanced down, seeing that they only had a small amount of bread left. "Here, Paige, why don't you take the last of it?" he offered.

Paige looked down at the bread he was holding out to her before she smiled. "I think there's enough to share," she countered, once again reaching out to tear it in half. Her fingers lightly brushed over his again, and her heart fluttered slightly as she set one piece in his hand and took the other for herself.

"On the count of three?" Dean suggested, giving her a small smile in return.

"Sure, sounds good," Paige agreed with a slight nod, quickly looking away from him again. "One..."

"Two..."

"Three!" At this, they both tossed the small pieces of bread to the ducklings that were swimming close to the edge of the pond.

Then, a low rumble of thunder echoed around them, and the light rain quickly picked up into a heavy downpour. Paige let out a startled shriek, causing Dean to smirk as they both scrambled to their feet. The latter picked up the newspaper off the park bench that the older man had left, and the Brit couldn't help but feel as though he had somehow known that she would be in need of it as she slipped the straps of her bag over her wrist. Dean quickly unfolded the paper and held one end out to her as he kept the other, and they held it over their heads to use as a makeshift umbrella. It wasn't the greatest, but at least it was something. He then reached out and lightly took her hand with his free one before they both started to run away from the pond in the direction of the hotel.

They were both laughing by the time they reached the towering building as well as drenched despite their efforts to stay somewhat dry. Dean took the newspaper from over their heads when they were under the veranda that was above the automatic doors since it would keep them sheltered before he sent a smirk toward his younger companion.

"Well, Paige, you got your wish," he muttered jokingly before he proceeded to put on his best British accent. "'Le' i' rain for all I care.' Remember?"

Paige's smile lingered as she lightly shoved him in response before she started to wipe some of the rain from her face. "Oh, shu' up." But then, the look faltered slightly when she noticed that they still had yet to let go of the other's hand.

Dean noticed as well, and he raised his gaze to hers. "Well, I have to admit, that was a fun way to spend the rest of the break I had before the show," he said quietly. "I may have to bug you like this more often. If you wouldn't mind me doing so, that is."

Not expecting that, Paige couldn't help but smile slightly. "We could do something like this again sometime," she agreed, not sure why she was starting to feel a little nervous. But it wasn't a bad feeling. "I don' really mind if you bug me."

"Great." Dean chuckled quietly, slowly releasing his hold on her hand. "Well, I suppose it's that time, huh? We've got a show to get ready for."

Paige nodded with a quiet sigh. "Yeah, I suppose..." she agreed before she met his gaze. "Good luck in your match tonigh'."

Dean smirked. "Luck? I don't need luck," he claimed. "But thank you all the same."

The Brit smiled slightly. "Well, I suppose this is jus' because, then," she muttered. Not entirely sure why she felt the need to do so, but also knowing that it was a tradition of hers with all of her good friends, Paige took a step closer before standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss on his cheek.

However, before she could, Dean's smirk broadened as he turned his head ever so slightly so that she would miss her target. Paige paused right before her lips could brush his, and she arched a questioning eyebrow. He let out a low chuckle as he looked down at her, neither one of them moving from the delicate situation they now found themselves in.

"Ah, well. Can't blame a guy for trying, right?"

Paige gazed at him for a moment longer before she smirked in return. "No, I suppose I can'," she agreed quietly. "Though I _can_ blame your for being unoriginal."

Dean gave her a feigned innocent look. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Paige," he told her.

"I'm sure you don'." Paige's smirk broadened slightly before she found herself doing what she had wanted to do for quite some time but never had the courage to do as she leaned the rest of the way forward and met his lips in a soft kiss. He returned the action gently before they both pulled away, and a matching smirk returned to his face.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," he said. "I'll definitely have to bug you while you're feeding ducks more often if this is the result."

Paige brushed a wet strand of her black hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail behind her ear. "You can bug me whenever you wan'," she replied, tightening her hold on her bag as she walked past him to enter through the hotel's automatic doors.

Dean turned to watch her. "How about after the show?" he wondered. "Could I bug ya then?"

The Brit paused, a smile spreading across her face. But she forced the look back as she took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder at him thoughtfully. "I don' think I have any plans," she told him.

"All righty then," Dean muttered with a nod. "I'll see you after the show."

This time, Paige couldn't hide her smile. "See you after the show," she agreed, the doors sliding open when she drew closer. Then, she stopped again and looked back at him once more. "I kinda like you, Dean Ambrose."

Dean's smirk returned. "And I may just kinda like you too, Paige." He laughed a little when he saw her smile broaden before she stepped into the hotel lobby. He stood outside under the veranda for a few minutes longer, simply watching the heavy rain continue to fall before he walked inside himself.

Yes, he thought to himself. He would certainly have to take the time to stop and feed the ducks more often.

**The End**

**Author's Note**: Well, that's the end of that one! I'll probably be writing with these two more often in the future. There's just so much potential there not to, lol. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


End file.
